ScottZumwalt's blog

DAY 8

Elizabeth Dole served as head of the Red Cross from 1991 to 1999. Though this should be a position to do good for people, Dole’s record at the organization is consistent with her record of ineffectiveness in the Senate. Before leaving the organization saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, she spent millions of dollars hiring political friends and allies as consultants to the Red Cross and chapter executives started to file complaints that her decisions were “politically motivated.” No matter where she works, it seems Elizabeth Dole is always looking out for those special interests.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 8 days.

DAY 9

By the numbers, the number 9 has been a significant one for Elizabeth Dole. She voted 92% of the time with President Bush, and she has been ranked 93rd in effectiveness. But it doesn’t stop there. Dole looked out for her Big Oil and Gas friends by voting to protect their tax breaks 9 times. She voted five times to increase the debt limit, bringing it to $9 trillion. She worked against the best interests of North Carolina families when she voted against increasing child care spending by $9.1 billion over 10 years. And in the ninth month of 1999, while North Carolinians on the coast were picking up the pieces after Hurricane Floyd devastated their lives, Dole made a rare trip to the state to raise money. Dole and McCain have both voted with George Bush nine times out of ten, and North Carolina can’t afford more of the same.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 9 days.

DAY 10

On October 15, 2008, Elizabeth Dole accepted $5,000 from disgraced Louisiana Sen. David Vitter’s PAC. That’s the same David Vitter who was caught calling a prostitution service, the same David Vitter who is married with children. Two of those calls to the prostitution service were made during roll call votes when Vitter should have been on the Senate floor voting. Recently, Elizabeth Dole and third party groups on her behalf have run a barrage of negative ads that attack Kay’s values and distort her record of working for North Carolina’s best interests. But in her typical fashion, Elizabeth Dole’s acceptance of Vitter’s money sends a strong signal to North Carolina families that she does not espouse the values she claims to.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 10 days.

DAY 11

Elizabeth Dole would have North Carolinians believe she is fiscally conservative and against raising taxes. But a closer look at her record beginning during her time in President Reagan’s Cabinet shows that her history on taxes doesn’t match her rhetoric. Not only has she supported raising taxes, she has made life more difficult for middle class families by voting against extending middle class tax breaks. Tax breaks to Big Oil and Gas, hedge fund managers and corporations that ship jobs overseas? Check, check, check. Dole was happy to give her special interest friends tax breaks, but she left hardworking North Carolina families with higher federal taxes since she took office.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 11 days.

DAY 12

Newspapers across the state agree – Kay Hagan is best choice to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. What else do they agree on? Elizabeth Dole’s lackluster performance just didn’t work for North Carolina’s families. Kay has garnered every newspaper endorsement that has been offered, including all of the major daily newspapers. In addition to praising Kay’s intelligence, energy and effectiveness, the endorsements also call out Dole for her absenteeism, partisanship and ineffectiveness. Her brand of special interest politics just hasn’t worked for North Carolina.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 12 days.

Jeanette, Tilden and Carrie Hagan sent the following email to Kay Hagan supporters earlier this afternoon along with a link to this video about Early Voting for Kay Hagan:

Dear Friend,

Our mom has been there for us for our entire lives. She's helped us out at every turn and we couldn't have asked for a better fan. And in this race, there's no doubt we're her biggest supporters.

For the past few months we've been donning our Kay Hagan t-shirts and speaking to thousands of North Carolina voters about our mom -- Kay Hagan.
Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians have already voted for Mom.

Have you?

Take a look at this video featuring Governor Jim Hunt about Early Voting in North Carolina and find out where you can register and vote early.

Early and One-Stop voting takes place from now until Saturday, November 1. So even if you are not registered you can still register and vote then. And of course, you can still vote on Election Day if you are already registered.

...

DAY 13

Thirteen days until this year’s landmark election. Doesn’t seem like such a long time, does it? Consider this – in 2006, Elizabeth Dole spent just 13 days in North Carolina. She chose politics over people as the head of the NRSC that year and nixed trips to her “home state” in favor of trips to Minnesota, Montana, Washington, Tennessee – the list sounds like a geography text book. But North Carolina is conspicuously missing. Hardworking families in North Carolina were left in the dust of Elizabeth Dole’s partisanship and absenteeism and told to swallow the line that Dole’s politicking was helping their “best interests.” She must be out of touch if she thinks voters will believe that this year.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 13 days.

DAY 14

Elizabeth Dole did not vote with President Bush 92% of the time for nothing. She was handily rewarded for siding with George Bush’s special interests instead of North Carolina best interests. Dole received over $100,000 from Bush’s “Pioneers” and “Rangers,” his most prolific fundraising bundlers. Being a “loyal foot soldier in the Bush Administration’s Army” has had its hefty perks for Elizabeth Dole, but what has it done for hardworking families in North Carolina?

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 14 days.

DAY 15

On this day in 1999, Elizabeth Dole, then registered as a Kansan, ended her bid for the presidency. Several years later she would find herself running for Senate in North Carolina, changing her stance on issues such as gun control, Family Medical Leave Act and trade with China. As a Kansan she was out of touch with North Carolina, too, traveling to the state just days after Hurricane Floyd to raise money. Both as a presidential candidate and as an absentee senator, Dole has worked against the best interests of North Carolina’s hardworking families and consistently putting politics over people.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 15 days.

DAY 16

Elizabeth Dole claims that this current financial turmoil could have been avoided if mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had been regulated by “her” bill, of which she was only a co-sponsor, and which didn’t go anywhere, anyway. But more importantly, in trying to champion her own legislation, Dole actually revealed her minimal understanding of this current crisis. Countless economists and analysts explain that Fannie and Freddie, while part of problem, are not wholly to blame for the chaos in the markets. If she is not working for North Carolinians, and she is not working to understand what her committee does, what exactly has Elizabeth Dole been up to?

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 16 days.

DAY 17

In the month of September, unemployment in North Carolina hit 7 percent – the highest it has been in six years. More North Carolinians than ever are searching for work, but what did Elizabeth Dole to keep good-paying jobs here and help those looking for work? She voted for the NAFTA trade model that has cost North Carolina thousands of jobs. She voted against extending unemployment benefits seven times. And she voted against funding workforce training 3 times. Out of touch with North Carolina and too busy supporting the special interests, Elizabeth Dole just doesn’t get it.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 17 days.

DAY 18

Yesterday, Elizabeth Dole again chose politics over people when she skipped a Banking committee hearing about the financial turmoil to campaign for her own re-election with VP nominee Sarah Palin. This marks the 62nd time that Dole has been silent during a meeting of the Banking Committee. In the wake of the financial crisis, Dole pledged to use her seat on the committee to investigate the causes of the turmoil. Obviously that was just her saying one thing in North Carolina while doing another in DC.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 18 days.

DAY 19

Today, North Carolinians across the state will start to head to the polls on the first day of early voting. For over 25 years, Elizabeth Dole was registered to vote as a Kansan. But in 2001, just days after Jesse Helms announced his retirement, Dole thought it would be an opportune time to reconnect with North Carolina – a state she had not lived in for over 40 years. Now, hardworking North Carolinians are paying the price for an out of touch senator who spends more time in the Watergate than her “home” state.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 19 days.

DAY 20

For a black and white testament to Dole’s absenteeism from North Carolina, all one has to do is take a look at her balance sheet. Elizabeth Dole has received the majority of her campaign contributions from outside North Carolina. More than three-quarters of Kay’s money has come straight from the North Carolinians she will represent. It’s no wonder North Carolinians aren’t interested in donating to a senator who has put special interests and George Bush before everything else.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 20 days.

DAY 21

A new ad check from WXII yesterday found that a Dole ad attacking Kay’s record on taxes was “misleading.” Not a total surprise considering the News and Record and News and Observer have both found Elizabeth Dole’s other negative ads to be false.

Dole’s attacks on taxes? Misleading.

Dole’s attacks on Kay’s investment in oil and gas wells? Untrue.

Dole’s use of the fabricated “Fibber Kay” moniker? Unconscionable.

Maybe Dole thinks she can hide from her solid support of President Bush’s failed agenda and gross ineffectiveness if she spouts lies about her opponent, but North Carolinians can see right through it.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 21 days.